Royalbound

Chapter Twenty

ALEX RAN HIS HAND THROUGH HIS HAIR.

"Fuck." He cursed under his breath.

Alex didn't know what possessed him to act that way. He leaned against the wall. His heart was still beating rapidly as he placed his hand on his chest. He couldn't resist.

Alex thought he could pretend to be asleep for a while longer because her touch made him relax. She just had to kiss him. The slight feeling of her lips on his brought a strange sensation to his body. He wanted to feel those lips again. Fuck, he wanted to kiss her badly. But he couldn't. He became a coward and ran away.

He squeezed his eyes shut. He was afraid of feeling emotions. He shut them out a long time ago and promised himself he wouldn't get hurt again by a female ever again.

"What are you doing to me, Rose?" Alex sighed.

He checked the hallway and saw no one. I guess everyone's asleep. He straightened up and began his walk back to his quarters. The silence was pleasant as it helped to sort out his thoughts.

What next from here? His coronation was in less than three months. He knew his enemies were waiting for the right moment to strike. He remembered the poisoned needles Alcina gave him and he clutched his fist involuntarily. There was a traitor in their midst. Who could it be?

It annoyed Alex that he had no clue. He huffed. He needed to act fast.

The fresh night breeze gusted his face as Alex stepped out of the staff quarters. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Your highness?" A small voice called out to Alex.

Alex opened his eyes and looked at the petite female in front of him. She kept her head low as he struggled to pick out her face from the darkness that surrounded them.

"Raise your head up, child." Alex ordered the female.

She snapped her head up almost immediately and the moonlight adorned her features.

Alex looked closely before his eyebrows rose in recognition. She was the maid who he put in charge of Rose for her personal needs. 

Alex tilted his head. "What are you doing out here at this ungodly hour?"
He asked.

"I- I wanted to go check up on Aria." The maid stammered.

"At this time?" His eyebrows scrunched in confusion. It was past midnight. Only the guards stayed up this late to patrol the premises.

"Yes, your Highness." She said.

Alex could see she was visibly shaking. Was he that scary?

"I won't hurt you, child." Alex said, "Stop trembling."

"No. it's not that, your Highness." The maid shook her head vigorously.

Alex frowned. "Then what is it?" He asked.

The maid muttered something under breath. She looked like she wanted to tell him something but was holding back. 

"Speak up, child." Alex was growing impatient. He could sense something was wrong and he hoped it hadn't got to do with Rose.

The maid sighed and spoke up, "It's... It's Jared."

Alex scoffed. What has his brother done again? Harassed another maid he believed.

"Which maid this time?" Alex growled, obviously irritated. Father had excused Jared's careless behaviour for far too long. His jaw clenched as he tried his best to keep calm.

The maid shifted her feet, looking uneasy. She glanced everywhere else but him and Alex was getting more impatient. He hated waiting.

"Child, if you're not going to speak up, I-"

"Rose." She whispered.

Alex stopped. His blood ran cold.

"What?" He asked again. He had probably heard wrong.

"It was Rose, your Highness." The maid looked up at him. Her eyes were filled with tears.
"He tried to- he-" She broke down. 

Alex clenched and unclenched his fist as he stared down at the female. He was furious. The thought of Jared touching Rose made him see red. His body vibrated as he felt a strange energy run through him. Alex growled. That bastard is going to die tonight.

"When did this happen?" Alex asked coldly, staring hard at the female.

The maid looked up at him and gasped. Her eyes widened in fear. "Y-your Highness."

"Answer me!" Alex seethed as he took heavy breaths. His heart felt like it was on fire and it suffocated him.

The maid stepped back. "After t-the breakfast gathering. Mr. Tyler stopped him before he could go any further." She replied quickly.

Alex squeezed his eyes shut. Tyler knew? Why didn't he say anything?

"Rose made Tyler and me promise not to say a word to you, your Highness," The maid confessed, "she didn't want to add to your problems but I couldn't let Jared get away with it again." She looked away, "It hurt to see Rose in that terrified state. I just had to do something."

Did she think he wouldn't find out? Alex shook his head slightly. He would deal with her later.

"Go back to your room." Alex ordered the maid.

"But your Highness-"

"Rose is asleep. Go. Now." Alex said, turning his back to her before walking towards the palace. He was going to pay someone a surprise visit tonight.

"Wait." The maid called out.

Alex stopped and tilted his head to the side.

"Forgive me for asking this favour, your Highness." She said, meekly.

"Speak."

She rose her head and a dark expression fell on her face.

"Crush his hand." She growled, "because a hand that commits sin deserves to be cut off and fed to the hounds."

Alex smirked.

"Don't worry, child." He said, "I'll be doing just more than that. It's time to let the world know who the real devil is."

******

Hi lovelies!

I know I went MIA on y'all for almost two months. I'm sorry!

I've been really busy with online classes and found it difficult to balance it with my writing. So sorry again.

I'm back and hopefully will be able to update frequently. I plan on finishing this book, of course.

Thanks to everyone who reached out to me on my whereabouts. I really appreciate it.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! I know it's short, please bear with me.

Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comment section and hit that star button if you liked the chapter!

Till next update!

Ps. Not edited.